Federal & State Agencies Working Together To Fight Crime

The US Attorney's Office and the Louisiana Attorney General's Office are teaming up against violent crime in Northeast Louisiana.

In the past year, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Louisiana has brought approximately 115 criminal indictments charging more than 200 defendants with firearm and drug related offenses, including felons and drug dealers in possession of firearms. These prosecutions represent about three times the number of such cases that have been brought in previous years. U.S. Attorney David Joseph says this is part of the Project Safe Neighborhoods Program.

“I want to thank Attorney General Landry for his commitment and assistance to
our joint effort to reduce violent crime in Northeast Louisiana,” Joseph stated. ”In the
last year, we have substantially increased violent crime arrests and prosecutions in the
District, which is clearly making our neighborhoods and communities safer. Given our
collaboration with Attorney General Landry’s office and the hard work of our state, local
and federal law enforcement partners in Northeast Louisiana, we fully expect that these
efforts will reduce violent crime here in Monroe and throughout the area.”

Now, a prosecutor with state Attorney General Jeff Landry's office will be designated as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney as part of the collaborative effort to add more muscle in the fight against violent crime.

“When I became Attorney General, one of my priorities was to strengthen my
office’s working relationship with our federal partners,” Landry said. “I share U.S.
Attorney Joseph’s vision to make our communities safer by working together; and we are optimistic that by offering one of our prosecutors to the U.S. Attorney’s Office,
prosecutions will be done in a quicker and more efficient manner.”

“The Project Safe Neighborhood initiative is a comprehensive, coordinated, and
community-based approach that we use to reduce and deter violent crime,” said ATF
New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Dana Nichols. “It is through this collaborative
effort that we truly make our communities safer.”